Wheeled vehicle.



` Rn SA' WHEELED VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILEI) APR. I3. '|914'.V

Patented May 28, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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I IIIIIIIIIIII R. S. FEND.

WHEELED VEHICLE.

'APPLICATION FILED AER. :3. |914.

www@ Patented; May 28, 191s;

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VEGLI-KIWI.) S. FEND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WHEELED VEHICLE. l A

Leemans..

Specification of LettersPatent. 4 Pgat@ntdl Maty 25 Jlll.,

@riginal application riled'October 23, 1913, Serial No. 796,768. Divided and this vap1;|1ic'aton'led `April 13, 1914. -Seria1No.831,367.

To all wkom imag concern:

Be it known that I, ROLAND S. FEND, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chi-, cago, 4in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, :have invented a certain new and v`useful Improvement in Wheeled Vehicles,

of which the Afollowing is a full, clear, conoise, and eX-act description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to wheeled vehicles, the present application being a division of `my original application Serial No. 796,768,

filed y'October 23, 1913, the claims in 'the present application being directed to certain characteristics 'which are set forth in my original application.

By mea-ns of my invention braking strains are removed from lthe springs which support the vehicle body whereby these springs are adapted fully to perform their function when the brakes are being applied. As my invention is preferably 'practised :it coni- ;pr-ises a vehicle which includes a vehicle body Acarrying frame, braking mechanism having a brake lmember for engaging a wheel driven portion to `check the vehicle, a reach `rodconnecting said brake member and frame 'andserving to transfer braking .strain to the frame, vthe connections of said reach 4rod with said frame and brake member bei-ng-iiexible, and a cushion carried by the reach `rod and taking part in carrying said frame, said `cushion engaging the reach `rod between the axes of the front and rear vehicle wheels.

The foregoing and other features of the invent-ion will be fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings showing the preferred embodiment thereof 'and in whichFigure 1 is la plan view showing the underframemounted upon wheels and in condition to have the vehicle body supported thereupon; Fig. 2 is a sectional ele-` vation lon line 2 2 of Fig. l Aindicating the lower part `of the vehicle body in position upon the under frame.; Fig. 3 is a sectional View on line v3 3 of Fig. 4; Fig. i isa view in sectional elevation on line i 4 of Fig 5; Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view on line V55 ofFig. 3; and Fig. 6 is a detail viewillus trating the preferred manner of connecting an yelliptic vehicle supporting spring with the under frame of the vehicle.

Lilie parte `are indicated by similar char,

`actors `of reference throughoutthe different `figures.

The drawings show the invention as being Iembodied in an automobile but the inven-tion is not to be limited, in all fof its characteristics7 to selfpropelled vehicles. The particular 'automobile illustrated is-one which `employs anelectric motor 1 mounted in yany suitable way upon the motorsupports 2 which are rigid with respect to and form a part of the under frame vof `the vehicle,

the vehicle vbody 3 being mounted upon latrigid under frame structure is :thus produced which not onlysupports the vehicle body v3 `and motor l but which may support other equipment of the automobile as, for eX- ample, storage batteries in y'the case of `auto mobiles employing Vpropelling electric `motors. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated the rear wheels `6 are initially propelled by the motor 1 through the intermediation of any well known or suitable power transmission mechanism, `that shown including a motor driven driving shaft 7A connected with the rcentral portions of the wheels 6 by the structure most clearly indicated in Fig. 5, which structure includes driving flanges 8 in fixed relation to the driving sha-ft 7 and bolted at their peripheries -to the wheels 6. The driving sha-ft is provided with a non-rotating shaft casing 9 ythat supports ball bearing structures l0 upon which the wheels 6 may turn, this shaft casing thus constituting a support carried by lthe rear wheels a-nd non-rotating therewith. A brake shoe support l1 is rigidly supported near each end of "the shaft casing 9, brake shoes 12 being mounted upon this support.. Each brake shoe support l1, in addition to supporting the brake shoes to the rear of the shaft 7, also supports a suitable brake shoe actuating element i3 which is illustrated in the form of a cam located. at the forward "ends of the brake shoes l2, this cam 13 being placed within the control of the driver of the vehicle through the intermediation of suit- .able brake atuating lever mechanism 14.

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Each support 11 also constitutes a mounting for the rear end of a rod 15 which I herein term a reach rod, though such reach-rod preferably does not extend clear to the forward end of the under frame. `The rear end ofeach reach rod15 is desirably bifurcated,'the bifureated branches of neach reachrod lying in a substantially vertical plane. Each bifurcated branch is provided at its rear end with a threaded bore to receive a ythreaded .trunnion pin 16 each formed at its inner end to aord pivoted connection betweenL its associate reach rod and the support 11* whereby slight relative motion may be afforded between the frame `11 4and the. reach rods, as in rounding corners. The forward ends of .the'reach rods 15 have flexible connection at 17 with the innerl membersv2 of the under frame, these flexible connections being preferably afforded by ball and socket joints to provide universal motion between the forward ends of :the reach rods 15 and. the under frame. The rear portion of the under frame is supported upon the wheels desirably through the .intermediation of elliptic springs 18,

Lthoughthe invention is not to be limited `tothe character of springs or cushions employed lfor this purpose. In accordance with-the preferred embodiment of the invention these elliptic springs or other cushions are supported upon the reach rods between the ends of said reach rods, wherebythe vehicle body 3 has supporting engagement with its rear cushions 18 and said rear cushions are in turn supported by the wheels of the vehicle, between the axes 'of the forward and rear wheels.

- The forward wheels 19 are turned by their contact with the roadway, in accordance with common practice, these wheels being journaled in branches 2O forming parts 4of well known steering knuckle mechanism. rThe element 20 thus` constitutes a support vcarried by the front wheels and non-rotating therewith. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention a pair of reach vrods 21 is provided at the forward end of the vehicle, each front end of'each lreach rod 21 beingdesirably bifurcated as'y illustrated in Fig. 2 there to have `pivotal'connection with the associate steer-Y under frame and at their bottom portions with the reach rods 21, the points of connection of the elliptic springs 24: (or other cushion support) with the vehicle body under frame and reach rods 21 being between the axes of the vehicle wheels. Where elliptic leaf springs are employed for supporting the vehicle body, the side members i are formed of channel irons opening downwardly so that the upper parts of the elliptic springs may be received in such channel irons as indicated clearlyA in Fig. 6. This partial housing` of the-upper parts of the elliptic springs serves better to preserve the planes in which such springs vibrate and makes the spring structure more rigid whereby the life of such springs may be materiallyv increased and their operation made more effective.V Such location of the elliptic springs also permits of wider spacing between the side members a of the under frame. Y

I khave shown and particularly described the employment of a pair of reach rods (as I term them) at each end of the under frame, though it will be apparent that certain of the advantages which I attain may be secured if but one of these pairs is rctained. As the invention is illustrated the points of attachment to the rear ends of the reach rods 15 with the shaft casing 9 are close to the planes of rotation of the rear wheels 6, and the points of attachment ofthe forward ends of the forward reach rods'21 with the knuckle portions 20 and thereby with the cases for the spindles or stub shafts of the forward wheels are brought close to the planes of rotation of the forward wheels. The cushions that support the vehicle body are shown as being located well between the axes of the forward and rear wheels, whereby with a given location for the vehicle body supporting springs the spacing between the forward and rear wheels may be materially increased so as to increase what is commonly termed the wheell base of the vehicle. This characteristic of the invention is not to be limited to the close proximity of the points of connection of the outer ends of the'reach rods with the wheel structures. By this characteristic of the invention not only may the wheel base of the vehicle be materially increased with' a given space between the forward and rear vehicle body supporting cushions or springs but the amplitude vof spring vibration is shortened in proportion to the shocks whereby the amplitude of movement of the under frame is correspondingly reduced to reduce the amplitude of consequent movement of the vehicle body, vehicle motor, and the power connections between the vehicle motor and the driving wheels 6.

By bringing the points of connection of "the outer `ends Jo'f fthe reach :rods `close to fthe 1planesof y'rota'tion of the vehicle wheels "the weightof the under frame and vparts ldf the -vehicle struct-ure carried thereby is supported very close to the planes `of 'rotation of the wheels whereby ythe tendency of the weight to warp the wheel's from their normalplanes is very materially reduced. By thus 'connecting the 'outer Yends of the rear reach rods close to the planes of rotation of the driving wheels the tendency to warp the driving wheels out of their normal planes due to the propelling action is materially reduced. By connecting the outer ends of the rear reach rods with the mountings for the brake members that are complemental to the brake members moving with the rear wheels 6 the force of the braking strains is removed from the rear vehicle body supporting springs 18, such strains being transferred directly to the under frame through the intermediation of the rear reach rods so that the rear reach rods not only materially oppose any tendency of the rear wheels to warp upon the application of the brakes, by the close attachment of the rear ends of the rear reach rods to the planes of the rear wheels, but the normal function of the springs 18 is not interfered with by braking operations, a result which is not dependent upon the proximity of attachment of the rear ends of the rear reach rods to the planes of rotation of the rear wheels. I do not limit myself to the separate formation and separable relation of the vehicle body and under frame.

By placing the rear vehicle body supporting elliptic springs closer to the motor and farther away from the rear vehicle wheels (which can be done by supporting these springs upon the rear reach rods) strains' upon the motor are correspondingly reduced as for example in braking, and the starting of the motor, said springs being in better position, than hitherto, to cushion the motor in the starting and stopping of the vehicle. By placing these reach rods, at their rear or outer end, close to the planes of rotation of the initially driven vehicle wheels the strains upon the motor is further reduced since the leverage distance between the rear ends of the reach rods and the rear wheels is reduced; that is owing to such an arrangement of the reach rods the bending and twisting strains upon the motor driven shaft is reduced correspondingly to reduce the strains upon the motor. Because of `the above outlined arrangement of the supporting elliptic springs the action of the brakes is correspondingly softened so as to reduce the strains of such action upon the motor and correspondingly lessen the braking shocks. to the occupants. y

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of-my 'invention Ifdo not wish 1t`o`b`e limited sto *the lprecise fdet'ails joff construction A shown as `changes may ereadily be 'made without departing from lthejspirilt v1'of -my Iinve'ntiorn Ebu-t )having ithus described my invention L1 claim 'as 'new and desire "to secure by liet*- ters Patent the following:-

1. A wheeled vehicle including a vehicle ibody carrying frame; V'cushions which yin-ldl- `ingly support the frame upon its wheels; brake mechanism having a brake member for engaging a wheel driven portion to check the vehicle, and means for connecting said brake member and frame and serving to transfer braking strain and torque comprising a rigid reach rod and a flexible connection between said brake member and said reach rod, a pivot for said connection having its axis substantially in the intersection of the vertical planes through the axis of the reach rod and the axis of the rear wheels.

2. A wheeled vehicle including a vehicle body carrying frame; brake mechanism having a brake member for engaging a wheel driven portion to check the vehicle; means for connecting said brake member and frame and serving to transfer braking strain and, torque to the frame comprising a rigid reach rod; and a cushion carried by the reach rod and taking part in carrying said frame, said cushion engaging the reach rod between the axes of the front and rear vehicle wheels.

3. A wheeled vehicle including a vehicle body carrying frame; brakemechanism having a brake member for engaging a wheel driven portion to check the vehicle; means for connecting said brake member and frame and serving to transfer braking strain and torque to the frame comprising a rigid reach rod, flexible means connectingt said reach rod with said frame; and a cushion carried by the reach rod and taking part in carrying said frame, said cushion engaging the reach rod between the axes of the front and rear vehicle wheels.

4. A wheeled vehicle including a vehicle body carrying frame; brake mechanism having a brake member for engaging a wheel driven portion to check the vehicle; means for connecting said brake member and frame and serving to transfer braking strain to the frame comprising a reach rod, the connection of said reach rod with said brake member being flexible; and a cushion carried by the reach rod and taking part in carrying said frame, said cushion engaging the reach rod between the axes of the front and rear vehicle wheels.

5. A wheeled vehicle including a vehicle body carrying frame; brake mechanism having a brake member for engaging a wheel driven portion to check the vehicle; means for connecting said brake member and frame and serving to transfer braking strain to the frame comprising a reach rod, the connec- In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe tion of said reach rod With said frame and my nume this second day of February A. brake member being flexible; and a cushion D., 1914:.

carried bythe reach rod and taking part in ROLAND S. FEND. 5 carrying saidkframe, said cushion engaging Witnesses:

the reach rod betweenthe axes of the front ETTA L. WHITE,

and rear vehicle Wheels. G. L. CRAGG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. C. 

